Lailath al-Qadr in different places

09/09/2009| IslamWeb

Question:

What are some of the signs of the night of Power? Will the Lailat-ul-Qadr be different at different places? For example if 27th night is here in India it will be morning in America. Angels will leave the mosque in the morning in India. At this time it will be night in America. Then will the Angels come down again to mark Lailat-ul-Qadr in America?

Fatwa:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, may Allah exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

Lailat-ul-Qadr or the Night of Decree is not known but it is definitely one of the last ten nights of Ramadan. There are signs which if they appear are indications that the night has arrived. Some signs appear during the night itself, and others may occur the following morning.

Signs that occur during that night are described in the following Hadeeth. Ahmad reported from Ubaadah Ibn As-Saamit, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said that the Prophet said: "Lailat-ul-Qadr is a clear and shining night as if there were a bright moon in it. It is calm and tranquil. It is neither cold nor hot and no shooting stars are thrown in it till the morning".

Imaam Muslim also reported from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "We were talking about Lailat-ul-Qadr in the presence of the Messenger of Allah and he said: "He who amongst you remembers (the night) when the moon arose and it was like a piece of plate (at the fag end of the month in a state of waning)". Some scholars say that this means that it is in the last part of the month of Ramadan.
Signs that come the next day are the sun appears the following morning, white and without rays (beamless).

As regards your question about Lailat-ul-Qadr in different places, as a rule, a Muslim has to believe in al-Ghaib without any form of questioning. Al-Ghaib literally means a thing not seen. Islamicly, Al-Ghaib means to believe in: Allah, Angels, Holy Books, Allah's Messengers, Day of Resurrection and al-Qadar (pre destination) as well as what Allah has informed about creation, and about Paradise and Hell.
 

As mentioned above, we are to believe in al-Ghaib since the human mind can not perceive a manner in which Angels descend in Lailat-ul-Qadr or any other nights, or even the manner in which Allah, The Great and Almighty, descends to the heaven of this world at the last third each night. Allah alone knows that matter since our minds, in their human nature, can not comprehend it. And if we do not know or see something, this does not mean it does not exist. It is our duty, as true Muslims, to say: we believe in what Allah has informed us of in His statements as well as in what His Messenger stated and implied in his sayings.
 

Allah Praises His servants in the Qur'an saying: "This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqeen [the pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. Who believe in the Ghaib …" [2:2-3].

Furthermore, it is true to say that the descent of Angels is continuous, i.e. their presence is as successive as the passage of time in each and every place.
Allah knows best.

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb